To the Rest Cure

So simple, right?

Fatigue. Nerves. Lack of appetite. The Rest Cure heals.

You have to stay in bed. You cannot talk to your family and you cannot talk to your friends. For three days, this will seem hard. You will hear their voices and see their faces. You will remember the way they sighed. You will want to tell them about the cranky nurse, the dry bread, the water that tastes...just...different.

But, by the fourth day, you feel lighter. Maybe that nurse wasn’t so cranky and the water today is almost sweet. The sheets smell good and today you will sit on the lawn. Under a blanket. In the sun. You feel the sun on your eyelids. When was the last time you felt the sun on your eyelids?

You have weeks to go. Can you feel the difference? 

And here’s the most important thing to know: everyone survived in your absence. Your husband, your kids, your parents, the neighbors--all fine. 

Because here’s why they love you: not for what you do, not for what you say, not for the dinners you cook or the time spent cleaning after others. 

They love you because they can see you. Or they know they will see you again. 

It’s that simple.